By Chad Klassen

City of Kamloops working to require street performers to have permit, reduce panhandling

Apr 10, 2019 | 4:50 PM

KAMLOOPS — Starting this summer, the City of Kamloops plans to start cracking down on street performers, who would require a permit to play. 

The city, which doesn’t currently have a bylaw governing street performers, would require them to have a permit at all times. The permit would allow performers to play from 10 in the morning to 10 at night, but would be limited to an hour at any one location.

Participants would also have to join the Kamloops Arts Council for a $30 membership fee, and also pay a flat $10 fee a year to perform on Kamloops streets.

“We’re trying to encourage local performers to get involved with the Kamloops Arts Council, and to work with them and register with them,” said the city events supervisor Sean Smith. “So when they do perform on our streets, we have some level of confidence knowing they are legitimate street performers, so as to not be confused with pandlers.”

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The proposal is in the works and comes on the heels of the city hosting its first International Buskers Festival, which returns to Kamloops in July.

The city is looking to distinguish between performers and panhandlers, meaning homeless people playing for change would be out of luck when this plan comes to fruition.

“We’re not out to ostracize anybody,” noted Smith. “We’re just trying to, like I say, legitimize these performers, to establish a certain level of entertainment value, and to work with those people. What else it does is, it lets us know who the performers are in town, so when people are looking for a list of possible performers, we have a list of everyone that’s performing in town.”

Smith says the city, which is drafting the proposal, is hoping it’s implemented after Canada Day.